Match-container.



E. CHANAL.

MATCH CONTAINER.

APPLICATION IILED JAN. 16, 1012.

1,035,317. PatentedAug. 13,1912. TEL T E.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMILE GHANAL, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

MATCH-CONTAINER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMILE OHANAL, a citizen of France, residing in thecity and county of San Francisco and State of California, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in lVlatch-Conta-iners, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to the class of matchcontainers.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, compact, eflicientand ornamental device adapted to easily receive and to hold a pluralityof match-boxes, and to readily present them for successive removal asdesired, the lowermost box being so disposed as to present its sandedsurface for the purpose of striking a match, said device being formedwith a top-chamber for the loose matches which are being used, and witha gate-controlled receptacle for receiving, holding, and discharging theburnt matches.

To this end, my invention consists in the novel match-container which Ishall now fully describe, by reference to. the accompanying drawings inwhich-- Figure 1 is a front elevation of my matchcontainer. Fig. '2 is avertical section of the same. Fig. 3 is a view showing a matchbox beingopened.

The body 1 of the device is a three-sided box, open at the back andforming together with the wall 2 against which it is placed a magazine 3of dimensions adapted to contain a. columnar store of match boxes 4. Thebox is secured to the wall in suitable manner, as, for example, by meansof the screws 5, through the top and bottom brackets 6. The upper end ofthe magazine space 8 is closed by a shelf 7 which is so placed withrelation to the top of the box that it forms a floor for a top chamber 8which is adapted to receive and has capacity for a box-full of loosematches, indicated by 9. The lower end of the magazine space 3 has afloor 10 which is cut out at 11, in order to permit the finger of theoperator to act in loading the magazine with matchboxes, as I shallpresently describe. The lower end of the magazine space 3, just aboveits floor 10, is open to the front, the opening 12 being of the 'fullwidth of the magazine and of a height about equal to or a little greaterthan the thickness of one box of matches, so that said box which is thebottom one of the columnar store and Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 16, 1912.

Patented Au 13, 1912.

Serial No. 671,471.

rests upon the floor 10, may expose its sanded surface 13 to the front,as is shown in Fig. 1. The sides of the box at the ends of the openings12 are cut back at 1 L to enable the match box to be easily grasped toremove it.

The front of the body 1 is formed or provided with a hollow sheath 15,which forms a receptacle 16 for the burnt matches. The top of thisreceptacle is open. The bottom is open also, but is covered normally bya swinging gate 17, pivoted at 18. The end walls of the top-chamber 8are'made to incline or flare outward, and are formed with downwardlydirected slits 19, which leave between them a flange 20. This flange isadapted to enter the inverted end of the inner member 21 of the matchbox, when said box is held as shown in Fig. 3, and to serve as a meansfor opening the box.

The use of the device is as followsz-It is screwed against the wall 2.The operator slips a box of matches into the opening 12 with itssanded-surface forward. Then lifting said box with his finger introducedunder it through the cut out portion 11 in the floor 10 he pushes asecond box of matches under the first, and thus the second box takes theplace of the first, the latter being lifted up into the magazine space.This is continued until the magazine is full of match boxes, each withits sanded surface to the front, and the sanded surface of the lowermostexposed in the opening 12, as seen in Fig. 1. Now the'operator, takinganother box of matches, inverts it, pushes the inner member slightlyforward and fits the inverted projecting end of said member down in theslits 19 of the end walls of the top chamber 8, so that the flange 20enters said end. The inclination of the end walls provides fora goodfinger rest to hold the match box at the proper angle. Then the userwithdraws the outer member of the box from the inner member, which isfast on the opening flange 20, so that the matches drop into the chamber8, ready for use. They fall with their ignition ends all in onedirection, and the matches lie quite regular and parallel, being easy totake out and strike. Then taking one loose match 9 from the chamber 8,the user strikes it on the exposed sanded surface of the lowermost boxof the magazine, and finally deposits the burned match into thereceptacle 16 through its open top. The gate 17 being closed, the burntmatches accumulate, until they are discharged by the opening of thegate.

WVhen the loose matches 9 in the top chamber 8 are exhausted, the user,grasping the lowermost box of the columnar store by its ends, partiallyexposed in the side cuts 14, slips it out through the front opening 12,and the column of boxes drops down, so that the next box becomes thelowermost and is exposed in the opening 12. From the box thus removed,the matches are dumped into the top chamber 8. Thus the operationcontinues until all the matches are used and the device is thenreloaded. The box may be made of any suitable material and may be asornamental as desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is 1. A match-container comprising a box formedwith a magazine to hold a columnar store of match-boxes, said magazinehaving a shelf at its upper end below the top of the box which saidshelf forms the floor of a chamber adapted to receive loose matches, andsaid magazine having at its lower end a supporting floor above which isformed in the front of the box an opening of capacity to receive a matchbox and to expose the entire front side of the same, and a receptacle onthe front of the box for burnt matches, said receptacle having at itslower end a discharge gate.

2. A match-container comprising a box formed with a magazine to hold acolumnar store of match boxes, said magazine having a shelf at its upperend below the top of the box which said shelf forms the floor of achamber adapted to receive loose matches, and said magazine having atits lower end a supporting floor which is in part out out to enable thefinger of the user to be introduced under the match box, the magazinehaving also at said lower end a front opening of capacity to receive amatch box and to expose the entire front side of the same, the sides ofthe box at the ends of the opening being cut back, to partially exposethe ends of the match box in order that it may be grasped to remove it,and a receptacle on the front of the box for burnt matches, saidreceptacle having at its lower end a discharge gate.

3. A match-container comprising a box formed with a top-chamber toreceive loose matches, said chamber having the upper edge of its wallformed wit-h slits leaving between them a flange adapted to enter theend of the inner member of an inverted match-box and serve as an openerfor said match box. I

4. A match-container comprising a box formed with a top-chamber toreceive loose matches, said chamber having the upper edge of its wallformed with slits leaving between them a flange adapted to enter the endof the inner member of an inverted match box and serve as an opener forsaid match box, said match-container box being also formed, below saidtop-chamber, with a magazine having at its lower end a floor to supporta columnar store of match boxes within said magazine, the lower portionof the magazine being open to the front to expose the sanded surface ofthe lowermost box of said store.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

EMILE CHANAL.

Witnesses:

WM. F. BOOTH, D. B. RICHARDS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

